Six First Dates
by Calico Yorki
Summary: A kind of writing exercise, pairing Midoriya with the girls of Class 1-A in six little one-shots. I've never done much romantic writing, and I might be horribly out-of-practice, so I might need to make some rewrites if it's received poorly. I hope you all enjoy, but if not, let me know why. NOTICE: I've given up on the bi-weekly thing, but I will definitely finish this story!
1. Kyouka

Midoriya was a timid kind of guy, and everybody was pretty aware. He didn't like to feel like he was speaking out of turn, had some rather apparent insecurities, and was pretty easily spooked by conflicts with other students. When the chips were down, though, he could pull off a Hail Mary like the best of them; nobody in Class 1-A could deny that, not even Bakugou, as much as he might like to. Midoriya was kind of a paradox, with super strength comparable to All Might's and the compassion to be a really admirable hero, but a meek disposition and more apparent pride in his mental faculties than his physical aptitude.

This was why Kyouka found herself staring at him in deep thought while they packed away gym equipment. Aizawa-sensei had been planning to have a day of general physical training, but almost as soon as the class all made it out to the field, a freak snowstorm blew in over Yuuei. It absolutely pelted down snow and sleet, and the cold snap made everyone try, and fail, to huddle a little closer to Todoroki's left side. Asui looked like she was going to fall over any minute, and Bakugou started throwing a fit over how the cold made his quirk almost unusable, rubbing his arms frantically. To his credit, Iida was trying to control the situation, although his wild gestures and booming shouts weren't doing much. As for Yaoyorozu, she had stepped back to try and assess the situation. Leaning her face on her palm, she went between looking at the snow rapidly covering the ground, and at the class mostly engaged in a chain reaction of chaos.

Aizawa-sensei had a look of abject exasperation on his face as he'd turned to Midoriya and Kyouka. "Since you two have graciously not started to lose your minds over a little sudden snowstorm," he sighed, "I'd appreciate you putting up the gym equipment while the Class President and Vice-President help me shepherd the class inside." With that, he shuffled off to round up the class. The first order of business was to have Todoroki warm up Asui, who had sat down on the ground with exhaustion as the snow piled up around her. This had left Kyouka with Midoriya to handle the gym equipment by themselves, as the snowfall began to slowly drop off. It wasn't very far to the storage room, so Kyouka just handled the lighter objects like the baseballs Aizawa used to measure raw physical aptitude, and Midoriya used his 'Full Cowl' (so he called it, making Kyouka quietly snort as he uttered the name) to move the track hurdles and the like.

By the time they'd packed up all the gym equipment, though, the snow was starting to fall again. And it really returned with a vengeance, too — by the time they'd gotten everything in its proper place, the snow was a foot high at the doorway! Midoriya wondered under his breath, "I wonder what's causing all of this snow? This is way too much for this time of year…Could it have to do with some kind of weather control quirk?" He took out his little notebook of hero-related information, muttering loudly as he flipped from page to page in search of some kind of answer. It was a little bit disconcerting, but it was still kind of fascinating for Kyouka to watch. Sitting on the stack of mats up against the wall, she slouched forward with one elbow propped up on her knee, that way she could rest her chin on her hand and just observe Midoriya as he pored over his notes. It was as if he'd completely forgotten she was there, and his behavior made her give another little snort of amusement.

Once she'd given Midoriya a few minutes, though, Kyouka decided to get down to brass tacks. "Hey Deku," she addressed him with the insult-turned-hero name. Midoriya slammed his notebook shut, having remembered Kyouka was there only after she spoke up. Holding the notebook at his side, he looked over to her to try and respond. He failed miserably, only managing a garbled kind of grunt. "Yeah, cool," Kyouka snarked. "Deku, why are you so timid?" He blinked as though he'd just been asked to give the meaning of life, mouth opening and closing dumbly like a fish out of water. Kyouka fiddled with her bangs, giving Midoriya a sideways look. "You sure have a lot of power to your quirk," Kyouka beat around the bush with compliments, "and you're so ready to throw yourself at something you can't beat, to save someone else. But you're kind of a nerd, y'know? Even though that quirk of yours would probably make you a star athlete. And you kinda just take it when Mr. Explosive Disorder starts up with the insults and threats, without standing up for yourself. What gives?" Handling things in her usual blunt manner of speaking, Kyouka didn't really expect any meaningful answers. She was really just making small talk.

Understandably, she was kind of surprised to see Midoriya seriously mulling over how he'd answer. Kyouka almost told him not to answer if he didn't feel like it, but was cut off by Midoriya starting to answer. "I-I guess it's a combination of b-being a late-bloomer," Midoriya stuttered just a little as he replied, "and, well…I guess I just really don't like to stick out, you know? Before I started attending Yuuei, I wasn't used to really needing to stand out. And it's still kind of, well…It's kind of uncomfortable, needing to make a strong first impression that people will remember." Leaning her chin heavily on her hand again, Kyouka just took in Midoriya's little speech. "But I always wanted to be a hero," he continued, "even before I, um…Got a handle on my quirk. Way before that, heh." Kyouka smiled a little despite herself, remembering how often Midoriya had hurt himself using his quirk.

"It's just that," Midoriya had to take a breath to steel himself. "It's just that…Being a hero is all I've ever wanted to be. To be able to use my quirk to save people, and give them peace of mind…Even if I doubt myself, and even if I let myself be cowed, I just want to be a hero. There's nothing in this world I could stand to do for the rest of my life." Eyes screwed shut, Midoriya took another breath to steel himself. He really had not expected to be pouring his heart out in a place like tihs, to Kyouka of all people. "As for Bakugou, well," Midoriya made haste to try and change the subject, "we've been friends ever since we were kids. Not very close friends, but I've always kind of admired him. He's so determined, and he's so resolved in his own way…I guess it's always kind of awed me." Kyouka nodded silently. Bakugou could definitely inspire an overwhelming amount of fear when he got in one of his moods.

After the awkward silence had settled in, Kyouka took that time to contemplate what Midoriya had said. _He really is kind of weird,_ she thought to herself. _He's so obsessed with heroes, and he has that heroic instinct, too. He still considers Bakugou a friend and talks so well about him, even though Bakugou treats him like shit. Is this kid for real?_ While she thought over this to herself, Midoriya took a deep breath and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Their shaking had less to do with the cold, and more to do with the unfamiliar territory that talking to a girl still was. Kyouka was kind of intimidating, to be honest. Her brusque way of speaking always made her seem a little derisive, even when she was complimenting someone. It baffled Midoriya that she'd ask him such personal questions, that she'd take any kind of interest in him. Girls taking an interest in him was extremely unusual, but not necessarily unwelcome.

As his knees started to quake, Midoriya very pointedly glanced away from Kyouka. Since the snow had hit before Aizawa had even dove into an explanation of the assignment, there hadn't even been enough time to change into their gym uniforms. Dressed in her standard uniform, the way Kyouka was sitting on the stack of mats really showed off her slender, toned legs. Midoriya almost started to look back, but was startled by Kyouka suddenly uncrossing and recrossing her legs. He turned away towards the door, confusing Kyouka as she got comfortable on the stack of mats again. He was shaking like a leaf on a tree, and it was impossible to hide. "Hey, you cold?" Midoriya shook his head. "If you say so," she sighed, idly picking at her fingernails as they waited for the snow to clear up.

Midoriya was stunned and shaking even after the snow had cleared up, and they managed to pick their way back to the building. Even after Aizawa-sensei tiredly greeted them and handed out the homework assignment, and even after they all set out to make the trip home in the snow, Midoriya was shaking in his boots until he got home. His mother asked him if he was alright, and essentially twisted his arm into letting her make him a bowl of soup to warm him up.

It wasn't the cold that was making Midoriya shiver, though. It was the shock, and the guilt, and the excitement too. Because when Kyouka had been moving her legs, Midoriya had seen something he was not meant to see.

"Glittery purple," he muttered under his breath, unable to even touch his soup until it was time to go to bed.

— — —

The next day, Midoriya could not even look at Kyouka.

Even though he was thankfully not quite so dumbstruck, it was impossible to look at her. His face would burn a weird red color if he even glanced at the back of her head, so he had to shove his head down into his assignments, hiding his blush as well as averting his eyes. Bakugou gave him an aggravated look, but he always seemed to have an aggravated look. Mineta looked genuinely concerned, but knowing him, just talking to him would clue him in to the nature of the issue.

It was almost impossible for Midoriya to function, with that image running through his head. He'd had the worst perfect timing to catch that split-second glimpse up Kyouka's skirt, and it seemed like she really had not noticed that he'd seen her glittery purple underwear. That didn't assuage Midoriya's distress in any way, though. Honestly speaking, it made him feel ten times as horrible as it would have if she'd slapped him or stomped on his foot. It meant she didn't know, and that made him feel sick to his stomach with guilt.

Nervously running his hand through his tufty green hair, Midoriya sweated bullets as the end of the school day drew near. Did he want to confess his horrible misstep to Kyouka, and sacrifice any semblance of camaraderie with her, in favor of peace of mind? Or did he just sit on this shameful secret of his, and try to muddle through interacting with her for the duration of their time at Yuuei? As everyone started to gather their belongings, a terrifying thought occurred to Midoriya. _We might have to collaborate in our careers as pro heroes_ , his thoughts tumbled through his mind like a dam breaking! _How can I handle a professional relationship like that? What if it ruins my performance as a hero? What if it ruins hers?_ What ifs continued to resound in Midoriya's mind as Kyouka got up.

He found his mind struck blank, however, as Kyouka began to walk towards him. Oh God this was it. She knew, and she was going to absolutely destroy him. She was going to yell at him, call him a pervert, call him the biggest scumbag in all of Yuuei. She was going to slap him, or stomp his foot, or use her quirk on him like she had on Mineta. As her steps seemed to go on for hours at a time, Midoriya quaked in his seat. He could hear all the things she was going to call him, a filthy hero-otaku or a sexually depraved lunatic. The worst thing of all, though, was that Midoriya could not keep an errant and very much unwanted thought from crossing his mind: _I wonder what kind she's wearing today?_ Gripping his desk so hard his knuckles turned white, Midoriya sucked in his breath and waited for the inevitable hurricane of hatred that Kyouka would deliver, and wipe out every scrap of self-respect he had at an insult-speed of Mach 10.

So ready for that hate-storm was Midoriya that he almost missed what Kyouka said. "Hey," she waved a hand in front of his face, "hey, Deku. Midoriya. Nerd. You in there?" Midoriya dumbly nodded, amazed that Kyouka had promoted him from Deku to his actual name, then all the way down to just 'nerd' so quickly. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you," Kyouka told him, shouldering a guitar case that she brought to class only once a week. "Meet me at the wall behind the P.E. grounds. Just give me about half-an-hour, first. I need to hand in an essay to Cementoss-sensei and talk to Present Mic-sensei about something." With that, Kyouka turned on her heel and walked out. Midoriya was left at his seat, lips pursed tightly and his brow slick with sweat.

After about ten minutes, Midoriya left the classroom (and a very bemused instructor) to rush to the bathroom. He stood at the sink for another five minutes, splashing cold water on his face and staring dumbly at his reflection in the mirror. After he sat on the bench outside the restroom to scratch his head for another minute or two, he walked off to take a jog around campus, and try desperately to clear his mind. By the time his half-hour to prepare his mind and body was just about up, Midoriya's lap of the campus had brought him right to where he needed to be. As he sidled into the space between the equipment storage building and the wall around the campus, one thought resonated in Midoriya's mind: _Kyouka's going to kill me, and hide my body._ A mental picture of Kyouka knocking him out with her guitar case or her quirk made Midoriya shake violently, anticipating her arrival.

Midoriya jumped about a foot off the pile of plywood panels he was sitting on when he heard Kyouka's voice. "Yo," she greeted him, sliding her guitar case and her book bag off of her shoulders. "Thanks for meeting me back here. Present Mic had to bail on some one-on-one tutoring with my quirk, so I wanted to touch base with him to make sure we'd have time to talk." As comical as it was, Midoriya's mind fixated upon how prudent it was of Kyouka to seek some pointers on a sound-based quirk from a pro with a similar, but more potent quirk. He sat with his legs firmly pressed together, head spinning a bit as Kyouka sat on a crate almost directly across from him. He stared intently at his hands as they gripped his knees with white-knuckle terror, trying as best he could to calm his nausea and nerves, as well as making sure to not look at Kyouka. He'd caught himself imaging her in glittery blue or red panties, and it left him feeling sick with shame once again.

When he heard a couple of quiet metallic sounds, it jarred Midoriya into instinctively raising his head. Kyouka had taken out a bass guitar, slinging the strap across her shoulders and leaving the case by her feet. Apparently her book bag had been holding a portable speaker, too, and Kyouka was sitting back up from plugging in her bass. Looking down at her guitar and away from Midoriya, Kyouka patiently tuned the strings, her earphone jack earlobes hovering over the neck while she experimentally plucked and strummed at them. Fascinated by her practiced movements and by the deep, throaty sound that crackled out of the speaker, Midoriya felt his mind grow a little more at ease. Although his fears were quelled by Kyouka's relaxed practice with her bass, seeing and hearing her play made Midoriya's heart beat much, much faster. Was he really getting enamored over her playing the guitar?

Kyouka once again broke Midoriya out of his fixated thoughts by patting a crate next to her. "C'mon," she insisted. "Sit here." Despite his apprehension, Midoriya really did not want to say 'no' to the girl he felt like he'd wronged in a very personal way. He left his book bag behind as he shakily stood up, and forced his leaden legs to walk over to the crate next to Kyouka. Sitting down, he noticed that the crate he'd been told to sit on was a little bit more narrow than the one Kyouka was sitting on. It also had a bit more space between where it was placed and where the wall towered overhead, meaning that Midoriya had to lean forward a bit to not risk falling backwards. As a consequence, Midoriya was able to get a good look at Kyouka's bass guitar while she idly strummed on it, which he appreciated being able to see better. He didn't quite appreciate the vantage point over her long, lithe legs, though. His heart was beating faster, and he was embarrassed to think Kyouka might hear.

If she heard his heart thudding away in his chest, she certainly didn't show it. She nodded with satisfaction that she'd gotten her bass guitar tuned just right, and then, she began to play a short little riff. It was a quick one, not just for how short it was, but how quickly the notes were rattled off. She'd strum a rapid set of notes once, then twice, then end the third set with a drawn-out note that reverberated more loudly. She did this only three times, then let the strings vibrate to a stop. "That's the opening riff to Carnival, a song by the pillows," Kyouka explained. "They're kind of the band that got me into the bass guitar. Them and an anime called FLCL." Midoriya was frozen in place, not ready for Kyouka to share this much information about herself. "There was a character in FLCL who used a Rickenbacker 4001, like this one," Kyouka explained, patting the bass guitar's glossy red finish. "Hers was navy blue, but, well…Navy blue was a bit too popular to get for my birthday, that year. I've had this bass since I was about ten." She gave a little smile as she strummed on the strings some more, still not looking at Midoriya.

Then, Kyouka slid the strap off of her shoulders, and stood up. Midoriya had only seen brief clips of FLCL when a friend recommended it, and he had only seen enough to know that robots got hit with guitars in multiple scenes. He seriously feared that Kyouka would give him the same treatment, especially when she sidled up behind him and to the side. Much to his surprise, though, Midoriya found her slipping the strap down so it rested on his shoulder. "K-Kyo-Kyouka," Midoriya stammered, blushing as she grabbed his wrist and tugged his other arm through the strap, "a-a-are you s-sure it's okay for me to play your guitar like this?" He'd almost forgotten how desperately he needed to confess his sins, but only because Kyouka's behavior was taking him completely off-guard. Stepping back to look at how the guitar rested on Midoriya, Kyouka nodded with satisfaction.

"So long as you don't use your quirk when you're playing it or anything, it's cool," Kyouka joked. "Just let it rest on you. Get used to the weight." Taking a loud gulp, Midoriya did as he was told. Awkwardly sitting on the wooden crate, he precariously tried to balance not leaning on the guitar so as to avoid damaging it, and not leaning too far back so he didn't fall or something. It felt very strange to let the guitar rest on him, but not exactly uncomfortable. Kyouka seemed to be happy with how he was sitting, so she stepped just a bit closer. "Now, try to hold it like I do," she tersely instructed him. Midoriya rose his shaking hands, laying one over the strings and curling the other around the neck. "Close," Kyouka commended him, "but not quite right." Midoriya was stunned like a deer in the headlights to find Kyouka circling around behind him, her body brushing against his.

Much to Midoriya's ever-increasing shock, Kyouka began to lean on him a bit. Her petite chest pressed against the back of his head, and he could feel her slender, toned thighs brushing against his back. He could smell the faintest whiff of her ocean spray shampoo, and he almost lost it as Kyouka began to slide her hands down his arms. "Let me show you how to do it," Kyouka quietly said to Midoriya, laying her hands over his. "You've got to hold the headstock more loosely. Just bend your fingers over it, rest your fingertips on the strings. Same with the body, don't just plant your hand there. You've got to keep your grip loose, so you can pick out the strings." Her thumbs pressed against the palms of Midoriya's hands, and her fingers caressed his own to get them into place. "No, no," Kyouka chided him, leaning on him a little bit more. "That's not it. You're way too stiff, Midoriya." That was just too much!

Sliding out of the bass guitar's strap, Midoriya landed ass-first on the pavement. Scrambling away, he turned to look at Kyouka, his chest heaving and panting. She was holding her Rickenbacker where Midoriya had gotten away from her, tilting her head to the side to give him a curious look. "K-K-K-K-Kyouka," Midoriya gibbered in awe of her, "wh-why are you doing this? Why are you t-touching my hands and, and, and…" He gulped, shaking as he sat there on the dusty pavement. He had a feeling like he knew why Kyouka was doing this, and it made him feel very confused, plus a little uncomfortable. Kyouka calmly stepped over the wooden crates, sitting down to unplug her bass guitar and stow it back in its case. After redoing the metal clasps on the guitar case, she tucked her little speaker into a pouch on her book bag. Then she just sat there, looking anywhere but Midoriya for five long minutes.

When Kyouka finally spoke, it was to ask a question. "Deku," she defaulted back to that nickname, "do you have any idea how much of an impact you've had on the whole class?" Midoriya blinked like he'd just been blinded with a flashlight. "There isn't a single person in class who doesn't have something to say about you," Kyouka continued, kicking her foot back and forth. "The way you were ready to flunk the entrance exam just to save Uraraka, even though the examiners would've probably stepped in before she got hurt. The way you gave up the seat for Class Prez to Iida, even though Iida voted for you, not for himself. The way you called out Todoroki at the Sports Festival, and got him to use his left side…You've managed to just blunder your way into everyone's minds, you know?" She bit her tongue just in time to avoid adding, _And even into some of our hearts._

Finally, Kyouka decided to not tap dance around that one issue. "I know you saw my, y'know," Kyouka admitted, crossing her legs. Midoriya looked straight at the pavement, ready to just start issuing apologies like a fountain. "Don't freak out over it," Kyouka hurried to stop him, holding her hands up. "Geez, I'm not good with the 'dogged nice guy' type…I knew you saw, right when you saw. I was a little embarrassed, but I'm not that shy. I figured you were, though, so I didn't wanna say anything and embarrass you more." Kyouka blushed a little, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. "I didn't think you'd still be freaking out today," she told Midoriya. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. And I guess I'm…Sorry about, I dunno. Forcing myself onto you?" Pursing her lips a little bit, Kyouka blushed. Now it was her turn to shyly avoid Midoriya's gaze.

She was really trying to not come out and say it, but Midoriya really had no idea how far he'd been from offending her. Although she was proud to not be defined by her sex appeal, and even though she considered it something she'd gone a long way towards outgrowing, when it came to her body, it still bugged Kyouka sometimes when she felt like she had to match up to other girls in a group. Especially when that group included Uraraka, or Ashido, or — heaven forbid — Yaoyorozu. It was infuriating to know that there would always be people who would judge her not on her merit, or her diligence, but on the way her body developed with or without her being able to affect it. Hearing that lumpy little lecher Mineta go on and on about Asui, or even about Hagakure of all people, but not even mention her…He was a gross little pervert, but it was frustrating for him to be more excited over the invisible girl's body than hers.

Even though it had been true that Kyouka hadn't wanted to embarrass Midoriya any more than he'd been, that wasn't the full story, either. While she didn't consider herself an exhibitionist, Kyouka found it kind of…Exciting, knowing that a boy had seen her panties. And to be honest, she didn't mind if it was Midoriya. He was a nerd of the highest order, but even though he was so timid compared to most of the other guys, he was still so earnest about being a hero. It was kind of inspiring, knowing he came to Yuuei with nothing but the desire to be a hero. Not to make money, not to validate himself to someone, but to be able to use his quirk to save people in danger. Some people (including Kyouka, at times) might find it silly, but it was endearing all the same.

That was why when Midoriya had poured his heart out to her yesterday, it had made Kyouka's heart skip a beat. For just a minute, his words had touched her a little bit. Seeing him rubbing the back of his neck, looking at the ground next to him, that freckly face of his looked awfully embarrassed. Kyouka intended to reassure him that they were cool, and then just kind of part ways. But then, Midoriya started talking. "I don't know if you w-want to bother with it after everything else, and I understand completely if not," Midoriya found the words tumbling right out of him, "b-but, umm…Kyouka, could you…Teach me how to play the bass?" Did he really ask? He was giving that lopsided smile of his up at her, his big green eyes hopeful she'd say yes.

"W-well," Kyouka stuttered for a second. "Well, since I had to take a rain check with Present Mic-sensei, and since I had made time in my schedule for it beforehand, I have a few hours to kill." She surprised Midoriya by yanking him to his feet, and excitedly hugging him. "Sorry," she jumped back, sheepishly brushing her fingers on his shirt. "Yeah, I have a few hours to kill, so uh," Kyouka twiddled her thumbs a little. "So…You wanna go hang out? I know this one cafe that's pretty cool." Both of them were awed to realize that Kyouka was basically asking Midoriya out on a date. She blinked rapidly, stunned by her own request and hopeful Midoriya wouldn't freak out.

Instead, he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I-I'd love to," he answered gleefully, returning her hug. Kyouka hurried to collect her own book bag and guitar case, ready to show Midoriya the way to the cafe. Moving her guitar case to hold it at her other side, Kyouka reached down and interwove her fingers with Midoriya's. She stopped him long enough to lean over and whisper in his ear, making Midoriya turn beet red:

"In case you were wondering," she grinned mischievously, "they're red."


	2. Hagakure

Attending Yuuei was very much a privilege that Midoriya was immensely proud to have earned. He was still intimidated somewhat by the imposing exterior of the school, even though walking through the school gates in the morning made him so excited. The walk to class filled him with energy and anticipation, all the way up to sitting down.

Once he sat down, though, the class started, and things changed somewhat. Aizawa-sensei would walk in, greet the class, and introduce them to the day's assignments. He'd eventually trade off with another teacher, and then another, and another. The class would diligently or less-than-diligently do their assignments, until the time came to head home at the end of the day.

Barring some kind of massive interference from external forces, or some kind of tumultuous examination of the class's abilities, it was usually kind of monotonous. Midoriya felt guilty that he felt that way at all, even if he was fairly sure students like Bakugou were far more unsatisfied with the lack of action. This, too, was a leg of the journey to becoming pro heroes, and it was all a part of what they all signed up for.

Even then, Midoriya could not escape his wanting some kind of excitement. It was a very high school-level sentiment, to react to tranquility and success with the desire for an upset, or for some greater challenge that made them fear failure desperately. Midoriya was a little bit scared by this sentiment taking hold of him, but he really could not ignore it. What on Earth could he do about it, though? Where could he find some kind of break from the daily doldrums without endangering himself or his performance?

This inner conflict had been brewing in Midoriya's gut for about a week when, at the end of the school day on Friday, he was surprised by a hand on his shoulder. He looked over, and realized that an invisible touch had gripped ahold of him. A giggling voice noticed his brief confusion, coming from somewhere within a floating school girl uniform. "Hey there, Deku," Hagakure greeted Midoriya with his chosen hero name. "I can call you Deku, right? That's how heroes address each other, right? Or is it okay to call you Midoriya?" This was a new and surprising kind of situation, to be sure.

"N-no," Midoriya stammered, breaking out of his shock. "Midoriya is fine, Hagakure." The girlish kind of giggle she responded with was a bit peculiar, when the girl's face could not be seen. Her skirt swished side-to-side around her invisible thighs, as if she were swinging her hips side to side. It was always kind of hard to read her, when her body language was only implied by the clothes she was wearing. If she was wearing them at a given time, that is…

Hagakure got a little bit impatient with how the conversation was stalling out. "Sooo," she cut through the silence, "what's your homework situation looking like?" Midoriya shrugged as he pulled on his book bag, mumbling that it was no more than usual. "That's good," the invisible schoolgirl replied, one sleeve raised as if pumping her fist in the air! "I've got a little bit less than usual, since I've been trying to get on top of all my subjects like never before." Just as he began to wonder what Hagakure was getting at, Midoriya got an answer of sorts that made him blush.

"So," Hagakure leaned her invisible body in a little bit, "you wanna hang out this weekend?" Wait, what? "I was thinking about tomorrow. I'll meet you right outside of the school at 3 PM. Does that work for you?"

"Uh, um," Midoriya stammered, "s-sure!" Oh God why had he answered without thinking?

"Awesome," Hagakure clapped with unseeable hands! She rounded the front row, picking up her book bag before circling past Midoriya again. "Then it's a date," she giggled, leaving Midoriya to stand rooted in place. His brow was slick with sweat, his eyes bulging, lips pursed a little bit.

"A, a," Midoriya struggled to form the simple syllables. "A…Date?"

— — —

Midoriya was still trying to figure out how he felt as he walked to meet Hagakure. For an invisible girl, she was definitely cute as a button. Always full of energy, boundlessly quirky and with a very good sense of humor, Hagakure was definitely able to stand out in spite of (and to an extent, because of) her innate invisibility. Midoriya was honestly surprised he'd not talked to her more, with how vibrantly her personality shone through!

The fact that he'd barely talked to her weighed heavily on his mind, though. _I wonder what it is that she wants,_ he thought to himself. _Does she really just want a date? Does she want to get something from me? What could it be, if that's the case?_ It took all of Midoriya's willpower to keep putting one resistant foot in front of the other, to not turn and walk home. He'd finished most of his homework, and had made time today for whatever Hagakure wanted to do. Whether or not her intentions were as sincere as Hagakure had always seemed to be, he wanted to put time aside for what seemed like it was going to be his first date.

Oh God was this going to be his first date?

That realization almost made it impossible to round the corner and head for the entrance to the school. Sucking in a deep breath of the cool, crisp autumn air, Midoriya steeled his nerves. If he couldn't handle a girl who had approached him for a date like this, then how did he expect to handle the social engagements expected of a pro hero? All Might would want him to take any opportunity to leave his comfort zone, to take the initiative on his own growth as a person! So Midoriya stood up straight, took one more deep breath, and rounded the corner to make his way towards where he'd meet Hagakure.

For a moment, though, seeing how Hagakure was dressed struck Midoriya dumb. His eyes were first drawn to the little black bow that had to be pinned to her hair, above her ear. She also had on a sleeveless, frilly white top that buttoned up the front, paired to a tiered black skirt with fuchsia ruffles abound. She had black gloves that went up to her invisible elbows on, too, plus black-and-pink thigh highs that clung to her lean legs. She also had on a pair of black shoes with little pink bows on them, and the whole outfit was topped off by a cute little black bow tie with pink polka dots. As she noticed Midoriya, the black bow on her hair bobbed to the side, signifying that she'd seen him. Standing on tip toes to wave her gloved hand at him, she left Midoriya with a stunned jumble of thoughts.

 _She's so cute,_ his mind weakly managed. _Oh wow she's so cute. She's invisible and I can only see her clothes, but oh my God she's so cute. She's so cute and we're going on a date, oh wow, oh my God she's so cute._ Midoriya felt like his knees were melting into jelly as he staggered up, giving a weird smile as he approached Hagakure. All he had to do now was play it cool, and not make a total clod of himself. For someone who had squared off with lethal villains already, Midoriya amazed himself with his own timidity. He gave a jerky kind of bow from the waist, and held out his hand dumbly. "Y-You're s-s-so cute," was the first thing out of his mouth, making Midoriya clamp his other hand over his lips. Oh God this was so embarrassing! He was a shambling, stuttering wreck already! He was doomed!

"Why thank you," Hagakure giggled. She extended her arm to shake Midoriya's hand, pantomiming some kind of stately type of girl. "I dearly appreciate you accepting my invitation, good sir," she heavily feigned sophistication, curling one hand so the fingers were fanned by where her mouth seemed to be. "I do hope you'll take care of me on our little excursion! Ohohoho!" Despite his elevated levels of anxiety, Midoriya had to bite back a laugh at how Hagakure was joking around. When Hagakure herself began to laugh, very occasionally interrupted by a snort, that was too much to take. Midoriya began to laugh loudly, and had to lean forward with a hand on his knee to not fall over.

That little skit of Hagakure's went a long way towards breaking the ice. After that, she and Midoriya were able to more comfortably make their way to where Hagakure had planned. They ended up in a very fashionable part of Tokyo, but Midoriya was too overcome by the butterflies in his stomach to really keep track of where they were going. His stomach felt like it was going to float out of his mouth, his mind felt hazy and slow to respond. He didn't register what Hagakure was saying until they'd come to a stop in front of a storefront. Looking up past the glass doors, Midoriya read the black sign's glittery kanji with dread.

 _Karaoke Bar!_

"W-w-wait, Ha-Hagakure," Midoriya stuttered and stammered! "Wait, please, h-h-hold on! I d-don't think I can — " He couldn't finish his protests before Hagakure had dragged him inside. It was a very small place, with black furniture and a matching bar. The stage had a black curtain with glittery sequins, and the man tending the bar seemed to know Hagakure pretty well. After she'd left Midoriya to sit down heavily at one of the tables, Hagakure went over to the bartender to talk and order something. She spent a few minutes chatting with him, whilst Midoriya stared intently at the edge of the table. How had he let himself get dragged into this kind of situation!?

He was startled to find a cream soda set down in front of him. "My treat," Hagakure told him matter-of-factly. As she sat down across from Midoriya to enjoy her own cream soda, Midoriya sucked in a fortifying breath. He couldn't let his nerve fail him now, of all times. As he began to drink, the ice cream mixed and melted into the root beer, giving it a very unique flavor in his mouth. It fizzed a little as it went down, tickling his throat and exciting his tastebuds. Midoriya hadn't had a cream soda before, but was delighted by the flavor. He glanced over at Hagakure to see how she was enjoying hers. He didn't know what to expect, but he could see the cream soda flowing out of the straw for just a moment, before it disappeared down Hagakure's invisible throat. He caught himself staring and looked pointedly down at his cream soda. That made Hagakure giggle and snort, which in turn made Midoriya smile shyly despite himself.

After they'd finished their cream sodas, the time had come for Midoriya to face his fears. Much to his surprise, though, Hagakure rested her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "You don't have to, if you don't want to," she told him. "I know you're kind of shy, so if you don't want to sing on stage, you don't have to." Moving past him to go first, Hagakure left Midoriya to return to his seat. Running a hand through his tufty green hair, he looked around at the other people in the karaoke bar. Besides the bartender and Hagakure, there were only three other people to see him try to sing. He remembered his intention of coming out of his shell, and steeled his resolve.

Before Midoriya could test his determination, however, there was Hagakure's little performance. Of all things, she picked a song by some foreign singer, and the title of it made everyone have to contain a snicker. As Hagakure sang _Invisible Touch_ , it amazed Midoriya how she had absolutely no compunctions about making a fool of herself. Half her notes were off-key, and she tripped over the English lyrics constantly. By the end of the song, she couldn't finish because she was laughing so hard. Everyone else was laughing, too, and that made Midoriya feel a warm kind of sensation. It made him feel like he could do this.

Once Hagakure had returned, Midoriya surprised her by standing up to take his turn on stage. "Hey," Hagakure quietly laid her hand on his shoulder again. "if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I don't want to pressure you." Midoriya reached over and squeezed her hand, giving her a reassuring, if lopsided smile. As he walked up to the stage, his knees quaking and threatening to give out at any moment, it made Hagakure feel something weird in-between her chest and stomach. If she had to put a name to it, she'd called it admiration. So, Hagakure sat down to see how Midoriya would handle it.

He fumbled with the microphone, first of all, and the rest of the bar politely contained their chuckles. After he'd managed to pick a song, Midoriya took a deep breath. This was it. He could do this. All he had to do was not give up, and not try to flee the stage. If he could just endure it, then he'd be fine. The music was starting, he wasn't ready! He began to sing the lyrics out, and found out something about himself. As Midoriya attempted to sing the slowest, simplest song on the karaoke, Midoriya learned that he could not carry a tune in a bucket. He sounded even worse than Hagakure, and after it was all said and done, the bar all stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

Then, Hagakure stood up, and started clapping. The rest of the bar took only a second to join in the applause, laughing and whistling and cheering their approval. Midoriya almost fell when he stepped off of the stage, but Hagakure was there right on time to steady him. "That was amazing, Deku," Hagakure laughed. Hearing her use his hero name made Midoriya's heart leap with joy. He felt like his insides were melting, and felt like he could float right off the ground as he walked out of the bar with Hagakure. He felt absolutely amazing, more than he ever thought he could on a date like this!

By the time they reached their next stop, Midoriya had come down enough to tell where they were. It was a very weird shop on the corner, with scarecrows and Christmas trees visible through the front windows. "This place is really cool," Hagakure assured Midoriya as they walked in. "They sell clothes, they sell furniture, they sell tons of stuff! I've known the store owner since I was a little girl, so let's just look around, okay?" The whole place was mostly lit by the sun pouring in the two rows of windows, but that gave it a unique and very pleasant kind of atmosphere. It had a sort of musty, earthy smell to it, giving it a cozy and rustic kind of feeling.

What amazed Midoriya about the place was just how many different random things they sold. There were old-fashioned wagon wheels, there were karakuri dolls, there were paintings and statues…It was amazing how down-to-earth the place was, at the same time as being so endearingly tacky. There were aisles of clothes near the back, and what an odd variety of clothes they were! There were huge glasses, gaudy imitation jewelry, and vividly-colored clothes galore! Midoriya and Hagakure ended up trying on random accessories just to laugh at how ridiculous they looked, like two kids that had been let loose in their mother's closet. It was so much fun, Midoriya's face hurt from laughing so much!

After a few minutes in the clothing section, Midoriya took notice of some low book cases near the check-out counter. Hagakure peeked up over the discount bin, giggling as she tracked Midoriya's gaze. "One of the girls who helps run this place is a huuuge book fan," Hagakure told him. "They sell all kinds of books! Novels, light novels, textbooks, comic books, manga…" Midoriya's heart skipped a beat at the mention of comic books. Did that mean superhero comics? Surely it did, right? Hagakure laughed quietly, turning to go towards the changing room. In his rush to head over to the books section, Midoriya failed to notice that Hagakure wasn't bringing a change of clothes with her.

Over at the shelves of books, Midoriya was taken aback at the variety of comics alone. There was a little bit from every age of comic book superheroes, and plenty of obscure heroes were represented, too. Midoriya managed to find a couple of comics starring heroes he'd never even heard of before! Just as he was starting to get engrossed, though, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to look, but nobody was there. Raising an eyebrow, Midoriya decided he was imagining things; that way, he could go back to checking out the comics! But when he felt another tap to his shoulder, and heard that distinctive girlish giggle, his face turned white as a sheet.

A second later, his face turned beet red. "Ha, Haaa," Midoriya failed to even say her name for a minute. "Ha, Haga, Hagakure?" He heard another giggle, and an invisible hand poking him in the side. Struggling not to giggle at the gesture, Midoriya hoarsely whispered, "Hagakure, what are you doing? Why are you naked?" He looked over towards the cash register. A girl with a third eye and glasses to match was perched on a stool, engrossed in some kind of incredibly ancient-looking book. She had not yet looked up, and if she did, it would just look like Midoriya was freaked out. The fact that Hagakure was teasing him like this was definitely enough to freak him out, though, so Midoriya rasped his question again.

"Shenanigans," Hagakure whispered in his ear. He felt her hip rub against him, and Midoriya's body temperature skyrocketed. His body was in absolute crisis mode, trying to ignore Hagakure's poking and prodding. If he just ignored her, surely she'd get bored and then get dressed again, right? Well, Midoriya certainly hoped that was the case. He was standing ramrod straight, trying not to move and bump into Hagakure in any way. This whole situation had set his blood to a boil, and he tried desperately to annoy the tent he was pitching right now. It ached and strained, but he just had to hold on, and hope Hagakure would cut it out.

A few minutes passed, and he could see the curtain on the changing room flutter around. Thankfully, there had been no one else in the store to see the trials and tribulations Midoriya had just gone through. An older couple walked through the door, but Midoriya was able to shuffle off towards the clothing aisle, evading the possible questions about him being hard as a rock in front of the superhero comics. He met Hagakure there, and stammered in an attempt to get an explanation for her behavior. "I was getting practice with my stealth," she chimed! "C'mon, Midoriya! Don't be such a stiff!" Midoriya groaned at that choice of phrase, but followed Hagakure out.

To be honest, he wasn't really angry with her. He wasn't even all that surprised, to be honest. He'd anticipated some kind of mischief on their date, and after he'd finished his homework, Midoriya had spent an hour to mentally prepare himself. It went without saying that he could never have prepared himself for what Hagakure had just pulled, but it wasn't as if it was entirely unwelcome. Since they hadn't gotten caught, Midoriya could now revel in the thrill of Hagakure's little prank going off without a hitch. Not to mention the fact that a girl had just been naked right next to him, and he hadn't passed out in a heap on the floor.

Their next stop was an arcade, just up the block and around the corner from the shop they'd just been in. A few of the bulbs had blown out on the sign above it, giving the very retro place a uniquely weathered kind of look. The floor was covered in coarse carpet, and there were a row of booths where tickets and things could be exchanged for prizes. "I'm not really all that good with video games," Hagakure admitted. "I just really like Dance Dance Revolution, to be honest! If you want to play some games, though, I'll watch!" That was a rather sweet gesture, especially with how Hagakure forcefully looped her arm around Midoriya's.

Faced with all the flashing lights and beeping music, Midoriya was a little bit overwhelmed at first. He'd never been in an arcade before, and wasn't exactly an avid video game player. With Hagakure watching, though, he felt the desire to try and show off if he could. He found a relatively simple machine, watching how the kid before him played the game. "So it's a platformer with timed levels," Midoriya muttered to himself. "There has to be a route you can take to get to the end as quickly as possible. But you get points for defeating enemies, too. Do I want to prioritize the fastest time possible, or the most enemies defeated?" The kid who had now vacated the controls gave Midoriya a bizarre look. Hagakure was shaking and leaning on Midoriya, laughing uncontrollably.

Breaking out of his calculations, Midoriya gulped. He stepped up to the machine, shakily took a quarter out of his pocket, and inserted the coin. All things considered, Midoriya did well for his first time playing. He managed to place fifth out of twenty top scores listed on the machine, and got plenty of tickets to boot! As they went up to the booths, Midoriya looked over the prize options. Going out on a limb, he picked a stuffed animal that looked like a sleepy anteater, and exchanged all of his tickets for it. To Hagakure's surprise, he handed the odd little plushy over to her. "J-just a little thank you present," he gave that adorable lopsided smile. Hagakure hugged the anteater tightly, then bounded over to hug Midoriya, too.

They spent the end of their date sitting on a bench in the park, watching the sun set. "I had such a great time, Hagakure," Midoriya gushed to the invisible girl beside him. "I-I've never done things like this! Never even felt like I could! Thank you so, so much!" He looked over at her, but was surprised by what he saw. She was hugging the plushy he'd given her tightly, and from how her bow was oriented, it looked like her head was bowed down. It looked very much like she was either exhausted — unlikely, given her energy — or that she could be feeling brought down by something. "H-Hagakure?" He laid a hand over hers. "What's wrong?"

Hagakure jolted upright. "O-oh, nothing, nothing," she laughed nervously. Midoriya's brow furrowed slightly. That didn't sound like nothing. Seeing Midoriya's skeptical look, Hagakure sighed. "W-well, you see, it's just," she had to stop. Taking a deep breath, Hagakure finally got down to it. "W-when I was younger, I had trouble coming out of my shell, for a while," she explained. "Being invisible made me feel like since no one could see me, they didn't — or couldn't — care about what I felt or thought, as much as everyone else. It was hard to get close to people, and communicate my feelings sincerely without having, y'know…An expression." She went on to say, "B-but it got better! When I started using body language and my clothes to communicate, it got the point across better. And I guess I started to feel more outgoing, because of it?"

She turned towards Midoriya, then. Hagakure surprised him by suddenly, forcefully giving Midoriya a hug. "I-it's just," she yammered, "it's just that you always looked so lonely, and you're always so withdrawn, but you're so cute and you're such a great guy!" Midoriya was stunned by the sudden compliments, unable to move or respond. "The way you go out of your way to butt in and help people," Hagakure continued, "it's just so cool, Midoriya! And being out here with you and seeing you having fun made me so happy, you know?" She heaved a sigh, tickling Midoriya's neck in a rather exciting way. "I just don't want this to end," she sighed.

At that, Midoriya jumped up, bringing Hagakure with him. "D-don't worry about that, Hagakure," he beamed! "I, I had an amazing time today! A-and if you want to do this again n-n-next weekend, I'd love to, you know…" He trailed away, still too shy to just come out and say what was on his mind.

Thankfully, Hagakure understood perfectly. "It's a good thing we're both so transparent," Hagakure joked. "I'd love to be your girlfriend, Midoriya!"

As they walked off, Midoriya felt his anxiety over everyday boredom melting away.

With Hagakure by his side, he was downright excited for the future!


	3. Yaoyorozu

**Author's Notes:** I would like to preface this by saying that I am not well versed in the layout of the greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area, so I apologize in advance if I fudge the distances between any locations mentioned here. I'm also not sure about the little joke at the ending, so let me know if it kills the mood in any way. I'm also trying out the line breaks provided by the site's document editing features, so hopefully the format will look nicer. Enjoy!

* * *

Midoriya liked to think that even if he was a bit introverted, he could still be a friend for anyone in Class 1-A to turn to if they needed emotional support. As a hero, he had a tendency to butt his nose in and get involved where he wasn't wanted, but certainly felt as though he was needed. It was one of the traits of his All Might often praised him for, so he was proud to be a worrywart if it kept him on the lookout for a friend in need.

When the friend in need one day turned out to be Yaoyorozu Momo, however, Midoriya suddenly felt very much in over his head. Stood in front of his desk, Yaoyorozu awkwardly twiddled her thumbs, obviously wrestling with her request now that she'd actually approached Midoriya about…Whatever it was. She hadn't said when she approached him at the beginning of homeroom. All she'd told him was that she needed his help after class, and then left it at that for the whole day.

As for Midoriya, he was a bit shellshocked to be talking to Yaoyorozu right now. He was always shellshocked to be talking to her, to be quite honest. It wasn't just her physical attractiveness, although Yaoyorozu certainly had beauty in spades. No, it honestly had more to do with the combination of her beauty and her brains. Yaoyorozu was consistently at the top of the class in all different subjects, at least as far as Midoriya knew. He couldn't possibly imagine her slipping on any of her subjects, to be honest.

"Hey, Deku," Yaoyorozu finally blurted out. "Can we walk and talk? I have club duties, but they don't start for a little while. I have something I need your help with." Blushing with his lips tightly pursed, Midoriya shouldered his bag and shakily rose to his feet. All he could think about Yaoyorozu needing his help with would be schoolwork, but he couldn't imagine _her_ needing _his_ help with that, so it could be something entirely unrelated to class. Either prospect brought with it a slew of new worries, but Midoriya had to soldier on and not falter even once. If he just kept calm and didn't let his nerves or his hormones overtake his good common sense, he'd be alright. Right? Right!

They eventually wound up at a spacious room with lots of sewing machines. "I'm kind of popular among the Sewing Club," Yaoyorozu chuckled blushingly. "It turns out that a quirk that's able to create any thread of any color and any quality is actually in high demand." Well, that certainly made sense. Just like everything else about her seemed to be, Yaoyorozu's quirk was completely amazing in every way. As Midoriya dropped his bag to sit across the table from Yaoyorozu, he desperately tried to stop being quite so awed by her. It was only going to make things more difficult if it kept up.

After rifling through her bag for a moment, Yaoyorozu tugged out a textbook with a blush. Midoriya was startled and somewhat amazed to see the book laid before him. _That's an Ethics textbook_ , Midoriya thought to himself incredulously. _Oh well. Maybe she's just moving it to get another book out._ No, instead, Yaoyorozu brought out a little stack of papers. She twirled her wrist a few times, forming a well-sharpened pencil from the palm of her hand. Nostrils flaring, cheeks blushing, Yaoyorozu cleared her throat quietly. Midoriya realized he'd been staring at her textbook, and immediately looked back up to Yaoyorozu.

"It's, um, well," Yaoyorozu struggled to explain. "It's a b-bit embarrassing, but, well…I'm not doing so well in Ethics." How could that possibly be? "It's n-not like I don't understand right and wrong," Yaoyorozu rushed to assure Midoriya! "It's just, well…I know what I want to put down, but it all…It keeps coming out wrong." Fiddling with her pencil, Yaoyorozu blushed and glanced anywhere but Midoriya. "I know the basic answers to the questions, but my answers always feel like I'm phoning it in," Yaoyorozu explained sheepishly. "I read over them, and I feel like my answers don't capture the spirit of an Ethics class, you know? I don't feel like I convey how much I believe in the subject matter." Well, that problem was easy enough to understand, Midoriya supposed.

No less than two minutes passed before Yaoyorozu dropped her next bombshell. "I'm barely staying above a D, right now," she admitted shamefully. Midoriya had to give a double-take at that. Yaoyorozu nodded, looking like she might actually start crying. "I-I can't bear to fail any of my classes at Yuuei," Yaoyorozu hiccuped. "Especially not something like Ethics." Awkwardly tipping forward into a bow, Yaoyorozu desperately beseeched Midoriya, "Please, Deku. Is there some way you can help me?" It obviously took a lot of willpower for Yaoyorozu to ask for help, and it very apparently embarrassed her to no end. It was really, really unpleasant seeing the normally resolute Yaoyorozu Momo bowing her head and begging for help.

There was only one way Midoriya could respond to that. "Of course I'll help," he responded brightly. "I mean, we're both students here. If I needed help with any of my subjects, I know you'd do the same." As Midoriya spoke, he felt the words forming naturally and without his control over them. "We all need help, sometimes. Even the best of us." As Yaoyorozu looked up, she gave Midoriya a look of what almost seemed to be disbelief. "If I'm lying I'm crying, and I'm not shedding a tear," he threw out one of All Might's favorite witticisms. "Just promise me you won't feel like you owe me a debt or something, alright?" Yayorozu smiled, trying and failing to hide how she wiped a tear from her eye.

Without further ado, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu settled in to figure out her homework. Midoriya was quite relieved to find that it was indeed not the ethical nature of the assignment that had stumped Yaoyorozu. Instead, she really did just have trouble putting her thoughts on the page, and was quite adamant about making each page of the essay as good as possible. It was kind of funny how stubborn Yaoyorozu was about making every word choice matter, and thankfully, she conceded after only a little bit of insistence where necessary. As a result, the two of them working together had completed Yaoyorozu's paper just in time for her club to start.

"Thank you so much, Deku," Yaoyorozu beamed across the table. "I know you said to not feel indebted to you, but, um…Is it okay if I repay you somehow? Please?" Rubbing the back of his head as he stood up, Midoriya mumbled an indistinct response. "Thank you so much," Yaoyorozu giddily replied, quietly clapping her hands in excitement. "Thank you, Deku! You won't regret it!"

Somehow, Midoriya had a feeling she might be wrong about that.

* * *

Two days passed without any mention of Midoriya helping Yaoyorozu with her schoolwork. As things slowly seemed to return to normal, Yaoyorozu effortlessly staying at the top of the class ranking and Midoriya maintaining his own comfortably high rank, he began to hope that Yaoyorozu had decided to not follow through on her insistence that she repay him.

His hopes were dashed on the third day, a Friday. "Hey, Deku," Yaoyorozu suddenly spoke up, startling him. "Can you meet me here in two hours?" She handed Midoriya a neat little pink card with an address on it in red letters. Bakugou looked absolutely disgusted with Midoriya's reaction: eyes stuck wide open mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He muttered something about Midoriya getting ahold of himself before he loudly went to flounce his way out of the room.

Mineta was stone cold shocked, watching as Yaoyorozu strolled away. Pursing his lips and taking a deep breath, Midoriya opted to grab his bag and go before Mineta made a scene. The lumpy little lecher was obviously not happy about Midoriya getting some attention from Yaoyorozu. It wasn't as if Midoriya was pleased as punch about it either, being a bit socially awkward as he was. He just hoped Mineta got over it by the time class was back in session on Monday.

Two hours later, Midoriya stepped off the subway at the location Yaoyorozu had designated on her card. Shinjuku Station was as crowded as Midoriya had heard it always was, and he had to try to politely navigate the cramped sea of people to try to find Yaoyorozu. It made his anxiety levels skyrocket to be sandwiched between so many people he didn't even know, to barely be able to take a breath without feeling like he was infringing on someone else's personal space. It was definitely the most unpleasant experience he'd had in a long time, short of something like the Villain Alliance's attack earlier in the school year.

Eventually Midoriya broke free of the throngs of people, nearly tumbling to the floor as he stumbled up the steps. "That sea was hell," he quipped to himself, leaning forward heavily with his hands on his knees. His shirt had attained a great many wrinkles and creases, and he knew his mom would disapprove of him meeting a girl in this state. He wasn't exactly in a position to go back home and change shirts, though, so Midoriya just had to hope Yaoyorozu would forgive his disheveled appearance. Speaking of Yaoyorozu, where could she be right now? This was the right stop, wasn't it? Midoriya started fumbling to get the card out again.

It was then that he saw her. Stood higher up the stairs by the aboveground exit from the station, Yaoyorozu was giving Midoriya a quizzical look. She was dressed in a frilly purple blouse with a little cream-colored bow tie, plus a beige skirt over dark purple leggings, with a cream-colored handbag and matching flats to finish her outfit. Adjusting the strap of her handbag, Yaoyorozu gave Midoriya a dazzling smile. So dazzling in fact that Midoriya almost fainted right there. It was finally dawning on him that Yaoyorozu had invited Midoriya out to Shinjuku, was wearing an outrageously cute outfit, and was smiling at him.

Only now did Midoriya realize that Yaoyorozu had opted to repay his help by taking him on a date.

"I'm glad to see you made it alright," Yaoyorozu gleefully greeted Midoriya as he stammered up the steps. Seemingly oblivious to Midoriya's distress at this situation, Yaoyorozu asked with concern in her voice, "Was the trip uncomfortable? You seem a little…Wobbly." Midoriya shook his head, muttering insistently that he was okay. "That's wonderful," Yaoyorozu replied brightly! Midoriya wondered for a moment if Yaoyorozu was teasing him, but then he thought back to what he'd heard from other students who knew her well. As far as schoolwork went, Yaoyorozu was beyond reproach. Her outlook was a little bit naive, though.

She suddenly surprised Midoriya by taking his hand in hers. "Come on Deku," Yaoyorozu insisted, tugging the blushing young man out through the subway exit. "I've got so much I want to show you!" As Midoriya helplessly trailed along behind her, his pulse quickened and his mind raced. Was he ready to go on a date with a girl? A better question: was he ready to go on a date with a girl like Yaoyorozu? She was so beautiful, so intelligent, so talented and so skilled in so many ways! To be honest, she awed him in a way that made him feel unworthy to feel her silky smooth hand grasp his, or to be led around Shinjuku by her.

Then, Midoriya thought to his mentor. What would All Might tell him to do in a situation like this? First of all, he'd swat Midoriya on the head for thinking of himself with terms like 'unworthy' — All Might hated when Midoriya got on a defeatist kick like that. The next thing he'd probably tell Midoriya is that life is short, especially youth. He'd tell Midoriya that high schoolers in Japan spent their whole youth racing to prepare for adulthood, and too few of them set time aside to enjoy their youth while it lasted, and that one's youth is over far sooner than they ever think it could be. So, he'd then tell Midoriya to do himself and Yaoyorozu a favor, and just enjoy himself. It wasn't like he and she hadn't earned it.

With that hypothetical pep talk from All Might to spur him on, Midoriya willed his legs to keep up with Yaoyorozu stride for stride. She looked happy beyond belief to be on a date with him, and Midoriya wouldn't forgive himself if he let his own self-doubt take this away from her. He'd never been to Shinjuku before, so this would be a new experience for him to boot! It was enough to make him really, genuinely excited!

The first place Yaoyorozu showed him to was an underground mall not far from Shinjuku Station. "This place has lots of stores that sell cute clothes and accessories," Yaoyorozu explained, slowing down to lead Midoriya along. "They also have bookstores, music stores, and a really nice food court too!" As much as he enjoyed seeing Yaoyorozu gleefully explain the location, a question bubbled forth from Midoriya.

"Excuse me, Yaoyorozu," Midoriya managed to find a space to interject. Yaoyorozu turned to look at him, smiling at him as she awaited his question. "Well, you just seem to know a lot about this place," he somewhat hesitantly asked her. "Do you come here often?" He mainly wanted to engage in conversation with her, and not make her feel like she was expected to be his tour guide.

Much to Midoriya's relief, Yaoyorozu was happy to answer. "My mother is a stock broker who concerns herself with hero equipment industries," Yaoyorozu explained, blushing a bit as she smoothed out her skirt to occupy her hands. "She works nearby here, so I'd come here a lot when I was younger to deliver her lunch and do some shopping. Schoolwork wasn't quite so time-consuming back then, but I can't make the trip out here just to see her anymore." it impressed Midoriya that Yaoyorozu was able to finish her classwork with enough time to spare back then. It didn't surprise him, necessarily, but it still was very impressive.

As they walked towards a nearby bookstore, it was Yaoyorozu's turn to ask Midoriya questions. "So, Deku," she used his hero name affectionately, "what do you think of my outfit?" Brushing her fingers across her skirt, she smiled over at him. "Is it cute?" Midoriya wasn't ready for a question like that!

"It, it, it," he blushed and stammered, "it's really, really cute!" Midoriya had answered louder than intended, and he could hear some passersby snicker just a bit. Now good and embarrassed, Midoriya looked up to see Yaoyorozu's reaction as she walked ahead of him. She was absolutely beaming, practically skipping right along as she approached the bookstore. Well, at least he'd made her happy, even if he'd embarrassed himself a bit.

Browsing through the bookstore, the two of them picked up some items that interested them. Yaoyorozu went for some art books from some anime, admitting with a blush that she really enjoyed flipping through the pictures to relax after studying. Midoriya opted for some Silver Age comic books, going red in the face as he admitted he was fond of the cheesy one-liners and unrealistic moral standards. The two bought their choices and headed out to read them, sitting on a bench by a water fountain to enjoy the cool underground air as they enjoyed their purchases.

Just sitting beside Yaoyorozu and reading with her was an extremely pleasant experience. She didn't judge Midoriya for his choice of reading material, just peeking over once in a while to read along with him. Despite how intimidating she was in every way, once he got to know Yaoyorozu, Midoriya found she was unbelievably kind. She was smart and skilled and extremely talented, but never once looked down on him or anyone else. Well, except for perhaps Mineta, but everybody had to look down on Mineta, in one way or another. Midoriya gave a quiet snort at the little snipe he'd accidentally thought up, but Yaoyorozu didn't question him on it.

After they finished reading, Yaoyorozu politely offered to carry Midoriya's comics in her bag. "No, no, that's fine," Midoriya replied. "I should have brought my school bag with me, but so long as we don't do a lot of shopping, I'll be fine." He was relieved to see that didn't seem to infringe upon Yayorozu's plans in any major way. If his own lack of forethought had ruined what Yaoyorozu wanted to do, that would make him feel quite guilty.

As they walked to the escalator, Yaoyorozu held Midoriya's hand the whole way. It was hardly unpleasant to feel those smooth, slender fingers loosely wrap around his own, swinging side-to-side slightly as they walked. Midoriya's face began to heat up, though, and he sincerely hoped his hormones wouldn't start getting the better of him now.

Back on the street, Yaoyorozu led Midoriya to a bus stop nearby. "The place I want to show you to is a little far," Yaoyorozu explained. "I hope you don't mind if we take the bus there?" Midoriya shook his head, adjusting his grip on the bag his comics were in. Thankfully the bag didn't weigh too heavily on his palm, so he wouldn't have to worry about his hand falling asleep or anything like that.

When the bus rolled up, Yaoyorozu and Midoriya boarded and paid their fare in kind. There were no seats open, so they had to sidle up next to each other and hold the rubber hoops overhead. Were this anyone else, Midoriya would not have had a problem. However, Yaoyorozu was a fair bit taller than him, and was a young woman of exceptional proportions. Due to how they had to stand, Midoriya was put in quite a predicament.

As the bus started to move, Midoriya realized with dread that he was going to spend the entire trip with his face right next to Yaoyorozu's chest. He could smell her body wash from this close to her, the scent of peaches making him breathe deeply on impulse. Midoriya tried to look past Yaoyorozu, tried to avert his eyes to the side, but his gaze always ended up slowly sliding back towards the bountiful bust right in front of him. There were a couple of girls who snickered at him, and there was an older man who looked like he almost felt sorry for the poor kid to be in a situation like this.

It was when the bus hit a slight bump in the road that things took a turn for the worst. Yaoyorozu stumbled for a moment and caught herself, but didn't realize she'd just closed the distance between herself and Midoriya. Her hip was pressing against his navel, and more problematically, her chest was halfway squashed against his face. Midoriya's mouth was covered, and he dare not try to say something right now. He just tried to desperately keep his eyes on Yaoyorozu's face, and not on anyone else riding the bus with them. Just to really complete the embarrassment, he could hear the quiet snap of one of the girls nearby taking a picture. Absolutely perfect.

By the time their stop came up and Yaoyorozu tugged the cord for them to get off, Midoriya could smell nothing but peach body wash. They both disembarked from the bus, and Yaoyorozu blithely chatted as she smoothed her skirt down again. "I'm sorry if I crowded you a little bit," she sheepishly apologized. Midoriya shook his head, his lips too pursed to form words right now. He looked up to see the sign of their current stop, and was legitimately excited to see that it was a museum dedicated to superheroes!

The museum was exciting, to say the very least. There were mannequins garbed in classic superhero costumes, display cases of old superhero equipment, entire exhibits dedicated to modern superheroes like Backdraft and Mt. Lady! When Midoriya saw an autographed photo of All Might with a bunch of civilians he'd saved from a crumbled building in the background, Midoriya felt his heart swell and his throat close up. Yaoyorozu was delighted beyond words to see how Midoriya reacted to the place she had chosen, and even found herself devolving into a total fangirl as much as Midoriya was turning into a shameless fanboy.

Only when the sun began to dip low in the sky did the two of them leave the museum hand-in-hand. They went to a nearby subway station to head home, both relieved to find the platform far less crowded than Shinjuku Station's had been. The subway car they boarded was less crowded, as well, meaning that Midoriya and Yaoyorozu could sit with a fair bit of distance from other passengers around them.

Still holding Yaoyorozu's hand in his own, a question arose in Midoriya's mind that he was surprised had not occurred to him earlier. "Excuse me, Yaoyorozu," Midoriya spoke up. When she turned to look at him, Midoriya took a breath to steel himself. "Why did you pick me to help you with your homework? Why not Iida, or someone else ranked high in the class?" That question made Yaoyorozu blush and fiddle with the hem of her blouse, taking her hand out of Midoriya's grasp.

"W-well, to be quite honest," Yaoyorozu finally attempted to answer, "it's b-because, well…It was an Ethics assignment." That only made Midoriya scrunch up his brow in confusion. "W-well," Yaoyorozu went on to say, "you always seem to have the best grasp of the ethics a hero should have." That made Midoriya stare in surprise. "The way you gave Iida the position of Class President," she continued, her blush deepening with every word, "the way you reached out to Todoroki, the way you throw yourself in to help other people…I felt like there was no one else who would have a better grasp of things like ethics than you, Deku." She fretted her skirt in her hands, hoping Midoriya's response wouldn't embarrass her further.

Midoriya responded by laying his hand over hers, and giving a big, lopsided smile up to her. "I'm so, so honored that you would say that about me, Yaoyorozu," he told her quietly. "And it would make me the happiest guy in school if we could, maybe…Do this again next weekend?" His blush intensified as Yaoyorozu leaned over and silently hugged him, but Midoriya managed to return the hug without fumbling.

He was so, so glad he'd allowed himself to enjoy his date with Yaoyorozu. More than anything else, though, Midoriya was thrilled beyond belief that he could look forward to spending more time with her!

Hopefully Mineta wouldn't take it too hard.


	4. Ashido

NOTES: Back by popular demand! I decided to do a little something different with this chapter, and I feel like it suits Ashido's character. This chapter is a lot shorter than the others, but I feel like it all works out. Enjoy!

* * *

If there was one thing Midoriya prided himself on, it was his diligence that reliably got him through tough times. He hadn't given up when his own lack of a quirk had barred him from being a superhero, he hadn't given up in the face of All Might's training regimen, and he hadn't given up when Aizawa-sensei seemed resolute on failing him and the rest of the class. When Midoriya hadn't been strong enough, he'd trained his body to match the challenge. If he ever wasn't quite up to snuff on his academia, he'd study laboriously until he was able to claw his way out of mediocrity to retain his fairly high class ranking. Dedication was what Midoriya prided himself on, most of all.

On the list of traits Midoriya was proud to possess, one of the less bombastic examples than determination was how he was able to help inspire people. He liked to think that he made most of his classmates feel better about themselves, uplifting them and spurring them on to bigger and better things. He'd certainly lit a fire under Todoroki, no pun intended, and he liked to think he'd helped Iida through some of his complexes regarding the mantle of Ingenium he intended to take on in his brother's stead. It made Midoriya feel good to make others feel good, and that felt to him like the kind of quality a hero should have: the ability to enjoy and promote the happiness of others.

There were times, however, where he really wished he could let some things pass without getting involved. There were times where Midoriya got in way over his head, and ended up regretting his altruistic tendencies afterwards. Sure, butting one's nose in was considered by All Might to be a heroic kind of trait, but it was also the trait of bleeding heart types whose urge to help out got themselves in hot water.

And so, without really thinking about it, Midoriya approached Mina Ashido after class. Her horned head was buried in her arms, her shoulders heaving up every so often before falling again with a loud sigh. She'd been like that for five minutes after class ended, and Midoriya had kept an eye on her even while he spoke to the teacher about homework. The teacher gave Ashido a tired kind of look, then left her and Midoriya to go grade papers and decompress.

With a deep breath to fortify himself, Midoriya made his way over to Ashido. "H-hey, Ashido-san," he greeted her. "Is, um. Is everything alright?"

Ashido heaved with a big sigh. "Nooo it iiisnnn't," she groaned loudly. "If I don't get an A on the test tomorrow, I'll flunk out. And if I flunk out, my dad will kick my _ass._ " The sudden oath made Midoriya flinch, and Ashido sighed as she rose up. "Sorry, sorry," she told him, rubbing at her eyes. "I uh, shouldn't foist my problems onto you."

"No no," Midoriya raised his hands placatingly! "No, it's fine, Ashido-san! I'm happy to listen to your problems!" And then, Midoriya did it. He made an offer he couldn't take back, and which would change the direction his life would take for the immediate future.

"In, in fact," he stuttered, "How about I help you study for the test?" He gave a loud gulp, inwardly cursing himself for making that offer so casually. What had he done!?

Ashido raised her head, her mouth hanging open slightly. Then she smiled, and her whole face lit up! "Wow, really!? You'd do that for me? You're the _bomb_ , Deku!" Ashido sprung from her seat, wrapping her arms around Midoriya's shoulders! She spun around him once, twice, then slung herself off, grabbing her school bag along the way. "Meet me outside, and we'll walk over to your house! Thanks, dude!" The momentum from spinning around with Midoriya carried Ashido until she sprinted out of the classroom, leaving Midoriya behind.

Lips pursed as if he'd just bitten down on a particularly sour lemon, Midoriya gave a deep, long-suffering sigh. "Well," he muttered, adjusting his grip on his bag, "I guess I have only myself to blame if this goes badly."

As he made his way down the hallways of Yuuei, Midoriya tried to think positively. Sure, he felt like he wasn't outgoing enough to really do well as a tutor, but had done a lot of studying for the test beforehand. With his understanding of the subject matter, he was sure that he could muddle through and help Ashido prepare! Right, it was going to be fine!

When Midoriya finally emerged from the front gate, he found Ashido waiting with her bag slung over her shoulder. "'Sup," she greeted him warmly. "I hope you don't mind if we do this at your place. My parents are…They're a little intense." Midoriya shook his head, still unsure of himself and unable to find his voice.

"Thanks, man," Ashido sighed with relief, falling into step beside him. "You're a lifesaver." Side by side was how they walked, took the subway, and eventually made their way back to Midoriya's house. Being so close to Ashido made Midoriya realize a few things. For one thing, she had an odd, but pleasant fragrance around her, like bubblegum crossed with strong citrus.

For another thing, she had really great thighs. Sure, they were an odd shade of pink, but the way her skirt swirled around them made it hard for Midoriya to keep his eyes off of them. It took a lot of mental discipline to keep his eyes elsewhere when Ashido would walk in front of him, peering around at the sights of the city with that characteristic zeal. Her energy was infectious, though, and made Midoriya look at his surroundings with a bit more interest than before!

Eventually they arrived at his house, discarding their shoes by the door. "Please let me explain before you say anything," Midoriya desperately insisted. "My mom is…You'll probably find out as soon as we head in." Ashido nodded very seriously, and followed Midoriya in without saying a word.

Immediately Midoriya's mother rounded the corner, holding a spoon. "Welcome home, son! I was just making — " She took notice of Ashido, and stopped short. She dropped the spoon with a clatter, folded her hands over her mouth, and began to get teary-eyed.

"My little boy has brought a girl home," she wept with joy! "Oh, oh, hold on, let me go out on a trip for some groceries! I'll leave you two alone!" So hurried was she to leave that Midoriya's mother didn't even let her son explain himself, nor did Ashido even get a chance to say hello or good bye. In moments Midoriya's mom had bustled out of the door, leaving the two of them in silence.

"Wow, your mom is pretty funny," Ashido laughed. "I guess this is an opportunity for us to do this-and-that, huuuh?" When she saw how pale Midoriya went, Ashido laughed and waved her hand to dismiss his worries. "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not going to try to fool around like that," Ashido reassured him. "We're just here to study, yeah?"

Sufficiently reassured, Midoriya nodded with a smile. He led Ashido to his room and plopped down on the bed, taking out his pencil and some paper. "So, Ashido-san," he asked as Ashido got comfortable on his bed. It occurred to him that there were going to be three tests tomorrow, it being close to the end of the semester and all. "What, er...Which test do you need help with?"

Ashido paused for a moment. She opened up her heavily-decorated schoolbag, and began to pull out textbooks. She pulled out a math book, a literature book, and an ethics book. All three!? Just as Midoriya began to panic, though, Ashido put the math book and ethics book back in her bag. She gave a little snicker, and Midoriya realized she'd been teasing him just now. He almost wanted to be offended, but all he could do was just giggle along with her.

"Ethics is kind of a cakewalk and I get math pretty well," Ashido explained. "But I guess…I dunno. Somehow I just don't _get_ the literature stuff. I can't remember the names of characters, or how a poem is supposed to be set up, or what the parts of a plot arc are. Y'know?" Midoriya nodded, and moved over to look over Ashido's work with her. Somehow he managed to keep a level head when his leg bumped up against her thigh.

As they studied, Midoriya found that despite some assumptions he was ashamed to admit he'd had, Ashido was in no way unintelligent. When he put into practice some of his own study techniques to help her out, Ashido started to pick up and memorize the information quite rapidly! All she needed was someone to help her focus, was all.

Hours later, the two walked to the front door, laughing uncontrollably. Midoriya didn't know what it was about Ashido, but she had an incredible ability to just make him start to crack up with how she spoke and moved. It almost made him reluctant to see her go, although he knew she had to.

"Good luck on the test, Ashido-san," Midoriya told her outside the front door. "I"m sure you'll do fine, so don't sweat it, okay?"

"I'll do my best not to," Ashido replied. "Thanks a lot, Deku. Oh, and by the way…" Midoriya was shocked to find Ashido suddenly leaning over, and giving him a peck on the cheek! "Just call me Mina, okay?"

Long after Ashido had made her way up the street and out of sight, Midoriya stood there in absolute shock.

"Th, th," he stammered helplessly. "Th, that, that…That was m-m-my f-first kiss!"

* * *

Midoriya could barely get in eight hours of sleep that night, fretting over the kiss Ashido had given him. He was blushing incredibly hotly, and he couldn't keep his mind from racing. He somehow managed to get to sleep, however, springing up as soon as his alarm clock alerted him.

The trip to school was uneventful as usual, although with the added complication of Midoriya's quickened pulse and racing mind. He managed to make it to Yuuei without making a Freudian slip or anything, and got to class without any incident, too.

That necessarily brought with it new complications, though. Ashido wasn't there yet, but she probably would be, soon. Midoriya sat heavily in his seat, sweating bullets and gripping his knees for dear life.

"Excuse me, Deku-san," a familiar voice suddenly startled Midoriya! "You seem like you're nervous. Is it the tests today?" Iida gesticulated as wildly as usual, although the look of concern on his face was a bit more sobering than the motions of his hands.

"No, no, it's nothing," Midoriya sheepishly reassured the Class President. "I studied a lot to get ready. Don't sweat it, okay?" Iida took pause, as if he intended to question Midoriya further. He smiled, though, and went off to chide Bakugou for propping his feet up on the desk.

That left Midoriya alone with his thoughts, as he tried desperately to grapple with his feelings. Ashido was nice and all, and she hadn't kissed him on the lips, thank goodness. Still, she was the first woman besides his mom to ever kiss him! Was he prepared to handle this kind of situation? Judging by how his body and mind were reacting, Midoriya felt like the answer was a resounding no.

And just like that, she walked in. Now more than ever before, Midoriya found it impossible to ignore how Ashido's swaggering hips rolled side to side, or how her smile absolutely dominated her expression. While she talked to Asui, Midoriya tried desperately to make himself unnoticeable. He failed, and Ashido threw him a thumbs-up. Midoriya shakily returned the gesture, trying to ignore how Mineta and Bakugou stared at him. Iida took notice as well, but mercifully let the gesture pass without comment.

Without much further ado, class was in session. The day was pretty humdrum, with only a pop quiz to shake things up before the literature test. Midoriya had finally calmed himself enough to properly take the test, and found that he could confidently answer most of the questions without dithering or questioning himself. He hoped Ashido had the same experience.

He'd hoped that, but wasn't ready for her to bound up to him at the end of the day to tell him about it! "Dude, that cram session helped me sooo much," Ashido clapped him on the shoulder! "I actually like, knew how to answer most of those questions! You really are the bomb, Deku!"

Snickering at how Bakugou angrily stormed out at her 'bomb' comment, Ashido clasped her hands around Midoriya's fingers. "Dude, I have so got to make this up to you," she insisted! "The weekend starts tomorrow, so meet me in front of your house at 7, okay?" She went to leave, but stopped to turn, smile, and tell Midoriya, "Oh, and wear something comfortable. And don't bring your book bag, it'll weigh you down. Gotta bounce!" Ashido grabbed her bag and left with such exuberance, she almost started skipping.

* * *

Midoriya more-or-less floated home, nervous beyond compare. What could Ashido have planned? Would it be safe? Would it be embarrassing to him? Midoriya ate his dinner and drifted up to his room in a blur. All too soon it was 7 o'clock, and his mom came knocking on his door!

"Honey, that girl from before is out there," she gleefully told him! "Be sure to treat her nice, okay? Do whatever she tells you! Unless it turns to peer pressure. But I'm sure it won't!" She giddily left Midoriya to get ready, changing out of his school uniform and into some casual clothes. He then left the front door, and beheld Ashido.

She was dressed in something similar to her superhero outfit: a sleeveless lavender-colored unitard with hot pink zebra stripes, plus a fluorescent orange vest with a violet fur ruff around the collar, all topped off with coral pink bubble sunglasses. She looked truly, truly outrageous, and it was honestly a little intimidating.

"C'mon, don't stand there with your mouth hanging open, Deku," Ashido giggled! "You'll catch flies that way!" She winked at Midoriya, resting her hands on her hips. The way she cocked one hip up higher than the other one made Midoriya's heart beat faster, his mouth going dry. He was afraid to see where this was going, but he was too fascinated to say no. So he just fell in stride with Ashido, and let her lead him away.

They ended up at a warehouse district, of all things! Ashido led Midoriya past the rows and rows of humongous buildings, towards what, he dare not contemplate. Soon, though, something reached his ears. It was like a heartbeat, but so loud he could hear it before he saw the source! Ashido led him towards that source, and as it grew closer, it occurred to Midoriya that this was the beat to a song.

Lo and behold, they turned one more corner, and there it was. The sun had just gone down, and in the dark of the night, the neon-colored lights flashing in the windows of the warehouse starkly stood out. The doors were slightly ajar, and a huge man with a bald head and curled horns was waiting. He looked like a bouncer, and one look from him almost made Midoriya faint on the spot!

"Chill, Keratops, he's with me," Ashido laughed! "I want to take him to his first dance!"

The bouncer chuckled, stepping aside. "Just don't come crying to me if he can't handle it," Keratops smirked at Ashido.

"What? Can't handle what?" Midoriya got his answer as Ashido dragged him in by the hand.

 _Lady,_

 _Just walking around_

 _And you're confusing me_

 _That look in your eye,_

 _It is abusing me_

 _And I reckon you don't know_

 _What you do to me_

The sensory overload almost brought Midoriya to his knees. The lights were flashing with green and pink, shining stark beams through an ultraviolet wonderland. From the flashing panels on the dance floor rose up hunks of what looked like coral, glowing with pinks and oranges and greens under the black lights above. There were pale green and pink bubbles, too, seemingly being blown by the DJ. He looked almost like a crustacean, using his claws to scratch the disks periodically.

 _Lady,_

 _I'm digging your style,_

 _It is out of this world._

 _No girl out there_

 _That can compare to you._

 _And I bet you don't know_

 _You're such a beauty queen —_

 _Straight out of a magazine._

Ashido obviously intended for Midoriya to dance, but when she saw the look on his face, she smiled tenderly. "You don't have to dance if you're not feeling it," she told him. "Just take it easy, okay?" She helped him to lean up against one of the false coral, and it was mercifully sturdy enough to support his weight. While Midoriya tried to collect himself, though, he found himself captivated by Ashido's moves.

 _'Cause I can't help this feeling,_

 _My desire is burning._

 _You've gotta set me free, unleash what's inside of you._

 _My desire's burning._

The way Ashido rolled her hips and moved her feet was hypnotic, bending and swinging her arms as she spun around. She rocked her body low to the ground, then rose up again with such speed, she did a backflip in the air! She landed neatly on her feet again, and everyone cheered. Midoriya blushed, his heart hammering, and saw her wink at him from behind her glasses.

 _'Cause I can't help this feeling,_

 _My desire is burning._

 _You've gotta set me free, unleash what's inside of you._

 _My desire's burning._

At no point did Midoriya realize when and how he joined Ashido on the dance floor. His movements weren't as articulated as hers, not at first. But Ashido would playfully tap him while he was dancing, getting him to move more like her, little by little, step by step. It was exhausting, it was exhilarating — it was like nothing he'd ever done before!

 _I see you,_

 _I want you._

 _I need you girl, yeah._

 _You're just a pinup girl._

 _A pinup girl._

 _Girl oh, yeah, yeah._

The song didn't end when Midoriya staggered off of the dance floor, leaning on Ashido's shoulder. He didn't know if it ever would end, but he didn't care. Leaning on Ashido, face shining with sweat, his legs burning just a little, Midoriya did what came naturally:

He leaned over, and he gave Ashido a kiss. Not a peck on the cheek, or a little kiss on the nose. He gave her a deep, passionate kiss on the lips, resting his hands on Ashido's waist.

Ashido kicked her leg up just before Midoriya pulled away, gasping for breath. "So, Deku — I mean…Izuku," Ashido blushed. "You uh…You wanna go steady?"

"After tonight, Ashi — I mean," Midoriya chuckled. "After tonight, Mina? I'd love that more than anything!"

The song went on, but Ashido and Midoriya didn't dance as quickly as before.

They took it slow, embraced each other, and kept on kissing.


End file.
